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Making changes to a statement

If you have had a review of your child's statement, your local authority will write to you, your child's school and the professionals involved in the review. They will let you know about any changes they want to make and will ask you for your views. You will always be asked what you think before any changes are made.

Why changes may be made

As an example, changes may be made if:

Once you've heard from your local authority, you have up to 15 days to ask for a meeting to discuss the changes it wants to make. The local authority must tell you its final decision and any changes it has made within eight weeks of suggesting a change.

If the changes are to part four of the statement (changing the name of the school), you have the same rights to choose a school as you had when the statement was made.

You also have the right to ask the local authority to change the name of the school in your child's statement, if it is at least 12 months since you asked for a change or since the statement was made or changed.

When your child is in the last year at their school before going to another school - say, when they are moving from primary to secondary school - the recommendations of the last annual review before the transfer are important in helping you and the local authority decide the school your child should go to. The local authority must change part four of the statement by 15 February in the year your child is due to change schools.

• Special educational needs: statements

• Contact your local council

• Special educational needs: choosing a school

If you disagree with the local authority's changes

If you disagree with the changes to the statement you have the same rights as when the statement was first made. Your local authority should tell you about the local arrangements for resolving disagreements and your right to appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.

• Information and advice for parents appealing to the SEN and Disability Tribunal Opens new window

• Find out about appealing to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal Opens new window

More useful links

• Find support from local parent partnership services Opens new window

• Identifying special educational needs in under fives

• Getting help for special educational needs in under fives

• Download the booklet 'SEN: a guide for parents and carers' Opens new window

• Talk to other parents about special educational needs (Mumsnet) Opens new window

Useful contacts

• Parents contacts

• National Parent Partnership Network

• Independent Panel for Special Education Advice (IPSEA)

• First Tier Tribunal for Special Educational Needs and Disability

• Network 81